[test] Brawlout : There is a new challenger [or not]

Many games are riding the wave of platform fighters while the undisputed master of the genre remains Super Smash Bros. It is in front of this observation that the developers of Angry Mob Games had the good idea to mix many heroes of independent PC games to make their original Smash Bros . That's how Brawlout was born in order to face the solid Smash Bros.

Brawlout is a platform fighter developed since 2016 by the dynamic team of Angry Mob Games. As of December 2016, the game is available in closed beta on PC. Since then, the team has been fine-tuning its baby according to feedback from the community and even offers a Switch version in December 2017. Finally available in final version since August 21, 2018 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, the game looks like a beautiful dessert served on a porcelain plate, but in which the developers would have forgotten to add flavor …

Synopsis :

Brawlout's story is simple to summarize; there really isn't. The developers saw fit not to include a story mode in their game. Only a few characters talk to each other at the beginning of the fights in order to bring a semblance of sociability to the whole.

Gameplay:

If Super Smash Bros is full of little tricks that make the difference, Brawlout unfortunately plays in the backyard. To summarize the gameplay, just design it as a Smash Bros with the same combinations of moves, the same way of playing, the same rules, the same conditions of rage… In its copy, Angry Mob Games has done its job rather well, the developers have respected the guidelines to the letter … But it is on this point that the problem lies, because over the fights, the game drowns in what it tries to offer the player, but nothing innovative is looming.

Indeed, as much as we have fun in Smash Bros, as much in front of Brawlout, we quickly get tired of these soulless fights. This observation worsens when we notice that the number of playable characters can be counted on the fingers of both hands… In addition, the characters are all played more or less in the same way. They have an extremely limited number of moves, as well as a physical inertia typical of games developed in Unity without there being any real effort to optimize. Finally, the sets all have the same level design with two or three platforms, and have very little interaction with the characters… A height for a platform fighter.

In short, we are far from the gameplay level account. Fortunately, the aesthetic part catches up with things.

Graphics:

Without question, the only strong point of the game, the graphic part has been worked brilliantly. The graphic style has nothing to envy to its competitors both in terms of characters and scenery. Congratulations to the Angry Mob Games team! Thus, the game runs easily in 1080p 60fps on all platforms. On the other hand, the characters are sorely lacking in spice… It will be very difficult to get attached to these heroes if you do not know their original games… It would have been so much nicer to offer a presentation of all these characters in their context in order to awaken in the player a sympathy for these brawlers. In addition, the animation of the characters is too rigid and looks more or less alike. It is a real shame that this part has not been developed further. Because it is the characters, their characters, their stories, that make the soul of a platform fighter. In short, this lack of soul regarding the characters joins the rest of the game.

Lifespan:

Truth be told, the lifespan of the game really depends on your desire to play something other than Super Smash Bros. For my part, I was excited by the aesthetics and the principle of being able to play with known heroes of the world of independent games. But, from my first games, I was disappointed. The fault first of all to loads "here it is" on PS4. From the launch of the game, it takes 25 seconds of loading to see a real-time full 3D intro sequence without any interest, which lasts only 3sec… Certainly, it's pretty, but a video would have been more suitable and would not have broken the desire to play. Then, when you have chosen your characters, you will have to wait another 24 seconds if you do a 1vs1 or 28 seconds for a 2vs2, before you can start the match!!! The climax is the return to the main menu where you will have to wait another 25 seconds before you can return. I felt like I was reliving the worst PS1 loads on CD… while the game was put on the PS4's hard drive.

How do developers want to want to play Brawlout if you have to spend your time waiting for endless loads? A height for a game of 2018, because for comparison, KOF 14, which is just as beautiful, requires only 6 seconds of loading and the return to the main menu, 1 second! This shows that the development of this game lacks sugar…

In short, you won't have much to do in the game if you don't play online. The arcade mode is meaningless, the submenus are untidy and finish to dumb your brain before starting. It is also necessary to play with friends to be able to do 2vs2 online…

And I repeat, there is no story mode yet essential in this type of production.

Sound environment:

The point that completes the game is undoubtedly the sound environment. The game is sorely lacking in soul and it would have been wise to give some voice to the characters or even for there to be the voice of a commentator who says: Round xx, fight !!! No none of that here, only Drifter pronounces a few yaaa and ahhh when he gives a blow… In short, the game is content with sound effects from the 80s and ambient music quickly forgotten.

For those who enjoyed Dead Cells, the hero will join the cast of the game this fall. That's pretty good news.

Thus, Brawlout is a game that lacks finish and this is felt at all levels. As much as the gameplay misses the target with too few brawlers and too limited combinations of moves, the game is sorely lacking in soul, because its characters are not at all charismatic and the general atmosphere not really electrifying. Only the graphic part saves the painting, with a real stylistic work. Too bad, because in principle, the game really made you want. Let's hope that updates arrive very soon to correct all this.